


Nothing Left Here to Say

by hibiren



Series: Jay's Gladnis Collection [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Anxiety, Boys In Love, Campfires, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dreams, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotions, Exhaustion, Galdin Quay (Final Fantasy XV), Gladnis, Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Isolation, Late Night Conversations, Loneliness, Love, M/M, Marshmallows, Massages, One Shot, Sharing a Bed, Sleeping Together, Worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-30
Updated: 2018-07-30
Packaged: 2019-06-18 17:02:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15490551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hibiren/pseuds/hibiren
Summary: Ignis feels somewhat abandoned when all the others are having fun at Galdin Quay one evening without him, so he slips away to their hotel room to try to gather his thoughts. Gladio joins Ignis a while later to help him relax so he can get the sleep he so desperately needs, also making sure to let Ignis know in his own way that he isn't alone, and never will be.





	Nothing Left Here to Say

**Author's Note:**

> Gladnis is right up there with GladNoct in my list of favorite FFXV ships! I just love the dynamic between them! I couldn't help but write this little scene after realizing how much I wanted to try writing something for them, with Galdin as the perfect setting (of course, the most romantic hehe)

Another long day of travel passed, leaving the four men drained and more than ready to get out of the Regalia and stretch their legs. The darkening sun slipped low into the water, casting rusty hues and sparkling reflections across the horizon as the waves danced in the distance.

Galdin Quay still seemed the universal favorite, with delicious food (not counting Ignis’ cooking of course), comfy beds, and most importantly, a reputable supply of hot water. While the room wasn’t exactly spacious for four people long term, it was better than being crowded into a tent or a caravan.

Prompto and Noctis began chattering excitedly as soon as Gladio suggested they set up a campfire, even though they’d already checked in at the hotel. Ever the outdoorsman, as usual.

“Oh! Let’s roast marshmallows!” Prompto suggested, grinning widely.

“We could make smores?” Noctis added, at which Prompto began nodding vigorously. “I think we’ve still got some chocolate left from the snack stash…”

“I’m starving! I feel like my stomach’s gonna try to eat itself…”

Ignis was already setting up their portable grill while Gladio started up their campfire. It wouldn’t hurt to have a little bit of down time before heading in for the night, they all really needed it. “I’ll prepare something more… filling, as well so you two don’t spoil your appetite with junk food.”

“Aw, c’mon! A little comfort food’s good for you every now and then,” Noctis said, giving Ignis a half-hearted shrug in response. Honestly at this point he was probably just glad to be out of the car and able to move around without accidentally kneeing the back of Ignis’ seat.

When the grill finally clicked to life, Ignis sighed softly and began rummaging through their supplies bag for ingredients to make some soup. It was simple and quick enough, and would hopefully provide some much-needed nutrition. They hadn’t been able to stop for a full meal since around noon, instead choosing to stock up on coffee and snacks since that was all they had the time or energy to do. Ignis, especially. He didn’t let it show, but behind his glasses the dark circles were growing more persistent. He took his job as driver seriously, often to the point of exhaustion. It was a small price to pay to make sure the Regalia stayed in top shape, without any accidents.

“I’ll be making soup tonight. Since that seems to be a very campfire-friendly dish.”

They all made noises of agreement and sat down in front of the growing fire, which seemed to blend colors with the setting sun; the flames rose as the sky dimmed and provided a beautiful transition from the evening, where a few stars already twinkled in the burning sky.

Ignis watched the three others as they sat around the campfire, putting marshmallows onto sticks and roasting them as they chatted. Gladio seemed to torch his on accident, but ate it anyway; Prompto burned his on purpose and made quite a mess as he ate; and Noctis sat patiently, carefully tweaking his marshmallow stick every now and then to make sure every side turned just cooked enough for him to eat it.

They laughed and joked and suddenly, Ignis felt distant. He was the driver, the chef, the advice-giver, and when necessary, combat partner. Why was it, that they went along so easily without him? That he just faded into the background without anyone noticing?

The soup Ignis had been working on simmered and he idly shifted the spoon he was holding in the pot to prevent the ingredients from burning or sticking to the sides. Was he losing his touch? No, that couldn’t be it. Was he boring? He wasn’t a thrill-seeker by any means, but he didn’t want to think he was that much of a mood-killer. Overthinking gets you nowhere, Ignis told himself, and started ladling portions of soup into small cups so they could all eat without needing extra utensils.

“Here you are. It’s hot, so take care not to burn yourselves.” He offered up a small smile with the cups, and they all took them with grateful grins.

“This looks delicious!”

“Thanks, Iggy!”

“Yeah, thanks for the food!”

Nodding, Ignis answered, “You’re welcome.”

The group seemed too distracted by their food to offer him a seat at their campfire, the sound of conversation dimming to the sound of happy eating. Yet, Ignis felt his heart sink. To try to distract himself from the feeling, he set about cleaning up the grill. Once it was cool enough to handle, he made sure the pieces were clean and came apart so they could be stored easily. And when that was done, he glanced over to the fading campfire. The three had finished their meal and now laid on their backs, watching the sky. Ignis took his chance to quietly slip out of sight and head back toward the hotel. This way he could, at least, do something productive instead of standing around waiting to be noticed.

The walk to the hotel was quiet, save for the soft rush of waves against the sand. It would have been relaxing, if he didn’t already have a thousand other things racing through his mind. To try to help him stay distracted, Ignis decided to open one of the windows once inside the room to let in the gentle breeze and soft swishing sounds of the tide. Sitting down on one of the chairs, he opened his bag that rested on the floor in front of him and pulled out a book on spice foraging, hoping it would calm his nerves somewhat.

The words seemed to blend together, and he found himself over time reading the same sentence four times over just to get it to process through his mind.

“Maybe… I should just go to bed.”

Defiantly, however, he turned another page, and as he did, there was a knock at the door. It was too late for room service, so he wondered if everyone had finished their campfire early.

“Iggy? It’s me,” came Gladio’s voice, lightly hinted with worry, as he slipped into the room and closed the door softly behind him.

“Yes? Did you need something?” As casually as he could manage, Ignis closed his book and set it aside, looking up to meet Gladio’s gaze.

“You okay? I thought you’d just called it a night early… you left without saying anything earlier. Figured you were tired… you know, it’s been about eighteen hours since you last slept, hasn’t it?”

Had it? He was too busy considering other things to even think about the time, unless it interfered with any of their other travel duties. Of the four of them, he was always the earliest riser. And because he had to look after everyone, he was usually the last to fall asleep. He worked far too hard and his body was starting to disagree with his enthusiasm. And caffeine could only help delay that but so much.

“I was just reading a book, that’s all. It’s quite informative,” Ignis stated, giving the book resting in his lap a pat of acknowledgment. “With this, I can find more ingredients around the various places we travel. To diversify my cooking, and, excuse my pun, ‘spice it up’ a bit more.”

Gladio stepped closer and Ignis looked up at him, a tired glaze over his eyes. He tried to pass off rubbing his eyes as reading strain and sighed.

“You sure you’re okay?”

“...Yes, I’m alright. Just… I suppose I am a bit tired, after all.”

“...And?” Gladio pressed, resting a hand on Ignis’ shoulder and giving him a gentle squeeze. “I know you’re not as social as Prompto or Noct, but, usually you don’t abandon ship like that. Something going on?”

Ignis shook his head, averting his gaze, just a hint of a burning sensation blossoming in his cheeks as he realized how selfish he must have looked to Gladio in the moment. “No, it’s nothing like that. You all just seemed to be having so much fun without me, and… I didn’t want to interrupt. So I returned to the room.”

“Interrupt?” Gladio huffed softly, kneeling down on the floor so he would be eye level with Ignis. “Iggy, look at me, you’re not interrupting anyone if you want to be included. They can just get… a bit too energetic. Hell, sometimes, even I have trouble keeping up with those two.”

In response, an anxious stutter passed Ignis’ lips before he could keep it back. When Gladio raised an eyebrow in question, Ignis just shook his head and tried to pick up his book again, to hopefully drown out his own embarrassment with new information.

Gladio stopped him, a large palm resting easily against the book, setting it against Ignis’ legs again. The look in his eyes spoke of pain, and understanding. “I think you should get some rest. Come here…”

Weakly, Ignis rose to his feet and let Gladio walk him to the bed. He had his arm wrapped around Ignis’ back and for a brief flash of a moment, Ignis found himself feeling safe, cared for, maybe even loved. Or was he imagining these things as well? His mind was far too tired to take such pain.

“Gladio, please, I’m alright… I’ll be fine after a night’s rest, I promise. There’s no need to worry about me.” Ignis removed his glasses carefully and folded them, setting them aside on the table as he did when he was about to rest for the night.

“Oh, no, don’t give me that,” Gladio muttered, a scowl painting its way across his stoic features as he held onto Ignis just a fraction tighter. However, he softened after a moment and said, “You know I’d worry anyway... Here, I have a feeling I know what’ll help you feel better.”

Too tired to continue resisting, Ignis let Gladio remove his shoes and place them beside the bed, gently guiding Ignis onto his stomach once that was done. A moment after that, Gladio’s warm fingers carefully moved across Ignis’ back. Though Ignis closed his eyes, he caught the sound of Gladio grimacing, a soft grumble of vexation as his hands set to work.

“Damn, you’re tense. When was the last time you relaxed?”

“Do you want me to answer that question honestly?” Ignis breathed, the light smell of fresh cotton filling his nose as he turned his head toward the sheets. The man’s hands worked like magic against his back, melting the months of knots and tension and stress away. Ignis felt light, as if he’d float away if he didn’t have Gladio there to keep him grounded. “How did you learn to be so good at this?”

“Hm... not sure. Just watched the guys out in the hotel a few times. Really isn’t much to it, if you know how your muscles work with your body.” Gladio chuckled, his fingers now digging just a bit deeper against a tense muscle near his lower back. Ignis surprised himself at the groan that left him at a particularly painful press and pushed his face deep into the bed to muffle anything further.

“F-Forgive me, I… I’ve never had a massage this… intense, before.”

“Sounds like you need it. I can feel it, too. You’ve been carrying all this alone… I’ll help you this one time for free, but next time, if you need to talk to someone, at least come to me before it gets this bad, okay?”

Ignis nodded slightly, feeling tears welling up in his eyes. He wasn’t sure if it was because Gladio’s fingers dug into all the right places, or if it was his own heightened state of emotion.

“Thank you,” Ignis whispered after turning his head into a more comfortable position, to which Gladio gave him a gentle pat and slipped easily into the bed beside him. At least the beds in Galdin were big enough for more than one person to sleep in at a time.

“Any time.”

Even though Ignis felt like he was on the brink of falling asleep, his muscles aching pleasantly from the massage, he slowly scooted himself closer to Gladio, at least as much as he could manage.

Gladio laughed, a low rumble of a laugh like distant thunder, and wrapped his arms around Ignis once again, to pull him against his chest. “Come here.” In the closeness, Ignis realized, Gladio smelled just slightly of woodsmoke and ocean. It was comforting, as if the two of them were lying outside on the sand beneath the stars, with nothing in the world that could break them apart in that moment.

“What about Noct? And Prompto? ...The campfire?” Ignis managed, suddenly nervous though his voice was a whisper, stilled by the calm in the air. While he still had some sense, it likely didn’t hurt to ask about the others...

“They’ll be fine, don’t worry. Just sleep, we’ll see them in the morning.”

The last thing Ignis felt before succumbing to the urge to sleep in the warmth of Gladio’s embrace was a soft brush of a kiss against his neck. It was one of the things he loved about Gladio; the man had so much strength to his name, but he always seemed to know when to be gentle. Ignis wished one day, he could borrow some of Gladio’s strength, so that he didn’t have to feel like he was chasing his demons away completely on his own. They were growing stronger by the day, and he wondered how much longer he could manage them.

One day, he’d have to confess. He wondered, would he ever be able to? While he was usually calculated in his speech, confessing his own true emotions was always incredibly difficult. Just thinking about Gladio made his heart race, but, there were more important tasks to worry about. His romantic interests should be put on the backburner, should they not? He had to focus on making sure their journey went with the least amount of problems possible. So much worry, so little time, but… perhaps, at least with one person to help him, it would be easier.

As if planning it all, Ignis dreamed of his confession, of what he’d say to Gladio while Prompto and Noctis still slept, sharing his deepest thoughts as they stood on the dock overlooking the ocean sunrise. Tomorrow morning, he’d take a step to conquering the first of many fears, and hoped to emerge victorious, but for now he enjoyed a glimpse into what he dreamed would be his future, their future.

**Author's Note:**

> *title quoted from Sia's "Soon We'll be Found" which became the mood piece for this after I shuffled through my computer's playlist a few times for writing music*  
> Hey I bet we all know this feeling don't we? It's like when you're with friends, or anyone really, and they're walking ahead of you and talking and carrying on, and you're just left silently keeping pace behind them? That's pretty much the feeling that inspired this fic; the feeling of subtle wishes for attention, without the desire to come off as selfish for wanting so. Gladio and Ignis seemed like the perfect couple for this.


End file.
